~defy~

Daylight licked me into shape,

I must have been asleep for days,

And moving lips to breathe his names,

I opened up my eyes…

Salty air drifted through the screens of the opened windows, ruffling the sheer white curtains that contrasted against the mauve color of the walls. Opened but unpacked boxes lined the walls of the room with colorfully bright clothes hanging out over the edges. A small stack of comics lay on the night stand and the fan on the ceiling rotated at a lazy pace.

This was his new home, Sam realized as he sat on the edge of the twin sized bed in the center of the room. He ran a hand through his dirty blond hair as his light cobalt eyes glanced out of the window and watched the wave's crash up against the beach at the bottom of the hill. In the near distance a pier hung out over the viridian water that rippled and shimmered in the sun. An amusement park decorated its wooded surface and poured out into the edge of the city that was lined with shops and restaurants.

If there was one word that he could think of to describe Santa Carla, it would be strange; not only the town itself but the people in it. He guessed however that, that was the reason his mother decided that they should move in with her father. The city was on the brink of different in such a way that there was no way that they wouldn't be able to fit in, in some way. With a sigh at the sickeningly bright rays that poured through the window Sam stood from his place and walked out of the room.

His sneakers squeaked against the waxed wood floors as he made his way down the stairs only to find his brother Michael walking into the house with his barbell that held hangers of clothes on both ends. "Wanna go down to the pier when it gets dark? The amusement park looks fun." The older boy shook out his dark brown curly hair as he looked back with interested slate eyes.

After he placed the barbell on the stack of boxes beside the back door Michael turned around with a grin, "Sure why not? We can get a feel for the town." Sam smiled at the acceptance, moving to the fridge with a sway in his step. "Why do you have to walk like that Sammie?" Confused eyes looked up to him from behind the fridge door and he just sighed, "Never mind. How are your eyes today?"

They both knew that this was Michael's way of asking him how the messes of visions in his head were doing, "They're fine Mike. Constantly shifting and changing, but they aren't giving me a headache today; for once. So that's an upside." A nod was directed his way as he pulled a coke from the top shelf and tossed it to the taller. Sam had been having visions for the greater part of his life, for reasons completely unknown.

That was the reason for the move, as loathe as he was to admit it. They had come to a point that they were just tired of the judgmental teachers and doctors that had come to the conclusion that Sam was becoming insane. Though he could see where the doctors were coming from. He was in a state of constant unawareness. At times, he didn't know what day or even month it was; having relived a vision multiple times before coming back to the present.

Over the years, Sam learned to live with it and to never take what he saw for truth. It was a rare occurrence when one of his hundreds of visions came true. "What time do you want to head down?" Breaking out of his reverie, he looked up to Michael who had a worried glint in his eyes even though he was trying to hide it. He shut the fridge door and started to walk towards the living room.

"When the sun starts to set," The footsteps of his brother followed him as he made his way back up the stairs, "That way when we get down there, it'll be dark. I'm excited to see the lights!" Laughter echoed up the stairs and off the rafters above them. As he stepped into his bedroom, Michael came to lean against his doorway while he pulled some more of his things from a random box. "Wanna help me unload some boxes before we go?"

~defy~

The suns last rays disappeared below the horizon as Sam stepped off of the back of Michael's bike. It was only seven o'clock, but because it was nearing the end of September it was getting dark earlier. Flashing lights from the various booths, stores, and rides glowed down on his face that lit up in an excited expression. "Let's stay together for now and if we want to split up later then we can." Michael nodded, not really wanting to let his brother out of his sight in the first place. What if Sam had one of those episodes? Shaking his head, he found himself praying that it wouldn't happen and ruin Sam's night.

During their first night at the pier they navigated through the booths with curious eyes. Most of the sales were rip-offs they found with amusement and the food was actually pretty good. They rode the Dizzy Tizzy and Rolling Thunder several times until Sam was green in the face and Michael had to drag him away laughing. It was then as his brother was walking him towards the game booths that he saw him.

Those deep hazel eyes locked with his as he took in the man's appearance. He was at least a foot taller than himself with a mane of dark brown hair and sharp features of tanned skin. Broad shoulders wore an open leather jacket that revealed his muscled chest and stomach, the tight charcoal jeans gracing his legs. There was something about the man that he recognized; he had seen him somewhere, but where?

Blinding white flashed behind Sam's eyes as his knees buckled under him and he fell with a thud to the ground, eyes rolling to the back of his head. Images of the man and three others raced across the screen of his mind in different scenarios, having fun and moving as a pack. They were different; they were strange. There was something about them.

Michael felt the sharp tug as he heard the thud and he wiped around as Sam's hand slipped off his arm. At the sight of his little brothers body going into a full body seize he fell to the ground beside him in horror, "Sammie!" He lifted the blonde head into his lap and tried to control the tremors that wracked the smaller boy. "Sam! Sammie, wake up!" The crowd gathered around them quickly, whispering all the while.

Not once did he look up however even as someone ran off to find the stand-by paramedic team. With a last rough jerk Sam shot up into a harsh ninety degree angle, eyes wide at the things that he'd witnessed. Beside him Michael sighed in relief as the whispers around them grew louder at the scene. "Mikey, let's go home. I'm tired." A yawn ripped from his throat as the older boy pulled him to his feet and half held him up.

As they walked through a break in the crowd, Sam caught the eyes of the mysterious man once again before Michael pulled him around the corner to the parking lot. When he was sure that they were alone, he glanced down at the shorter. "What did you see?" It wasn't that he didn't want to tell Michael about the men in his visions; it was just that he was sure that his brother would meet them soon enough.

"I'm not completely sure," Michael bought the half-truth for the whole as they found his bike and climbed on. The engine roared to life as they drove back through the streets and up the hill to their new home. Wind blew around Sam bringing a smile to his face as the sound of the crashing waves rose to his ears. He had to admit that it was more peaceful here than it was in Sacramento.

It was strange, he had to admit. Ever since they had arrived in Santa Carla, his visions had been nearly...manageable. Everything inside his head moved at a steady pace to which he could remember them as if they were merely dreams. He still wasn't sure if they were real or false; but it was nice to be able to borderline think for a change. Still, he had to wonder what caused the abrupt change. Yesterday he was lost in a sea of flashing pictures in Sacramento, and today he was as clear as scotch watching a movie in Santa Carla.

As they pulled to a stop in the drive Sam stepped off of the back leaving his thoughts behind and waited as the older walked the bike into the garage. He looked down at the brightly lit town and pier with a small smile; if he was suddenly only seeing true visions, then Michael would meet the men tomorrow night. The gravel crunched behind him and he turned to find that his brother had finished. "Let's go to bed, I'm exhausted."

Looking at his wrist watch, he found himself agreeing as he stepped into the house, "Night Mikey." Sam smiled as Michael ruffled his hair in affection. The two headed up the stairs quietly and separated at his bedroom door. With one last grin, he closed the door softly and walked into the dark room, collapsing on the bed.

After a moment of just burrowing his face in the pillow, Sam flipped himself over and stared at the rotating fan with risen eyebrows. He didn't understand anything he had seen in the abrupt visions from the boardwalk. It was just a jumble of events that seemed to have happened in the past, though past visions weren't foreign to him; it was still strange.

Shaking his head, he changed his clothes and snuggled up underneath the covers. He'd figure everything out as he went; there was no reason to stress over something that he wasn't sure of. As he drifted off to sleep he felt content in the strange but comfortable surroundings.

And found myself alone,

Alone above a raging sea,

That stole the only boy I loved,

And drowned him deep inside of me…

~defy~